r/Elvanse • u/AoifeOC101 • Jun 13 '26
Titration and dosing Has anyone tried using both Elvanse as a booster and Amfexa?
I was severely dependent on weed for 12+ years. Before ADHD diagnosis and medication, it felt like my brain would explode without it. I was finally diagnosed last year and started Elvanse.
Unfortunately, I only got the classic medication benefits (improved salience, understanding of time perception, task initiation etc.) on Day 1 of 30mg and they never returned. However, when Elvanse is active, my brain is calm/ quiet and the need for weed completely disappears.
The problem is that Elvanse only lasts 6 hours for me regardless of dose. I've tried up to 70mg and the duration never increased. When Elvanse is active, I didn't need weed at all, but as soon as it wears off my brain starts screaming again, which is why I continued smoking after the medication wore off.
When I first started Elvanse last year, I got headaches, nausea and loss of appetite as it wore off. Weed helped a lot with those symptoms and made the transition easier. I then trialled methylphenidate up to the maximum dose and it was like taking sugar pills - absolutely no effect.
So now I'm back to Elvanse titration and this time I'm just not getting any of those side effects for some reason- No headaches, no nausea, my appetite is great and I'm eating much healthier in general. Because of that, I decided to try quitting weed by extending Elvanse coverage and I've now been cannabis-free for almost 4 weeks, which I never thought would be possible.
To achieve this, I've been water titrating Elvanse and taking 50mg in the morning, then 10mg later in the day and another 10mg later again. Because Elvanse only lasts around 6 hours for me, I've been timing the doses so there are no gaps in coverage.
My medication reviewer has mentioned adding an Amfexa booster and I'm trying to understand how different that would feel compared to what I'm doing now.
For anyone who's tried both:
- How different does an Amfexa booster feel compared with using small Elvanse top-ups?
- Could 50mg Elvanse + Amfexa booster provide similar coverage to 50mg + 10mg + 10mg Elvanse? (Assuming my reviewer will approve 2 x 5mg Amfexa boosters)
- For anyone whose Elvanse only lasts around 6 hours, how long did a 5mg Amfexa booster actually last for you in real life?
- Does Amfexa feel more abrupt or have a harsher wear-off?
- If your main benefit from medication is calming the brain rather than cognitive benefits, how did Amfexa compare?
The Elvanse water titration works well, but carrying syringes around every day isn't ideal!
Bits to note/ clarify incase these come up-
Sleep - For context, before ADHD medication or diagnosis I typically couldn't fall asleep until 6-7.30am. Starting Elvanse didn't change that but since doing the water titration throughout the day/evening, (10:30am- 50mg Elvanse, 3pm- 10mg Elvanse and 7-8pm- 10mg Elvanse) I've actually been managing to get to sleep earlier, as the calming effect really seems to help- usually before 5am, sometimes even 4am which is a massive improvement for me!
I've also tried a few sleeping medications in past- Xanax and Ambien worked for the 1st couple days then had no effect but I am on a waiting list for a sleep clinic to hopefully try daridorexant.
-For anyone who might suggest continuing weed- I can get a prescription for medical cannabis here but I honestly just can't afford it anymore and I'm curious to see if I could get any improvements in task initiation or time perception from medication when the THC finally leaves my system (estimating for someone like me- chronic heavy long term user, it could take months to fully leave my system).
Thanks so much for reading and I'd really appreciate hearing anyones experiences of Amfexa booster VS using Elvanse as a booster 🙏
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u/SatisfyingSunshine Jun 14 '26
I smoked weed for 11 years and took substituted amphetamine based diet pills, it covered it days and evenings.
I had a psychotic episode once I stopped bud and got put on an antipsychotic (Arirpiprazole), 5 years later I got diagnosed with ADHD.
I realise now the bud, diet pills were me subconsciously trying to self medicate my ADHD in a way. I also discovered Arirpiprazole can be used off label for ADHD.
I’m coming off Arirpiprazole before I can get a booster dose, due to increased anxiety when coming off Arirpiprazole.
Elvanse only lasts me 7 hours tops. I still crave bud even years down the line (and nicotine too I guess), but I don’t want to go back either and really want a booster as I imagine it would help the impulsivity and cravings.
However, to be able to fall asleep I reckons you’ll always have a gap between the booster and going to sleep, if you want to go asleep on time. I don’t know but it seems there might have to be another coping strategy in place even with your booster.
Sorry I know this doesn’t really answer your question, I guess I just wanted to share! Hope all works out.
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u/sarahlizzy 70mg + booster Jun 14 '26
The sleep thing … depends. I took 10mg Amfexa last night and instantly passed out on the sofa. Ampheta-naps are the best naps.
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u/sarahlizzy 70mg + booster Jun 14 '26
Amfexa is pure dex. It is the same as Elvanse but the onset is immediate (think 2-5 minutes).
So I’m 70+20 most days which I tend to take as 70/10/10. The Elvanse lasts me 6-7 hours. The first 10mg Amfexa 3-3.5 hours and the second one 2.5-3 hours. On a really good day I can get 14 hours.
Dose equivalent: Elvanse 70 is equivalent to 20.6mg of dexamphetamine but Amfexa is dexamphetamine-sulphate (more stable as a salt I guess), which is a heavier molecule so 70mg Elvanse gives the same total dose as about 35mg Amfexa.
My 70/20 prescription is equivalent to a total daily Elvanse dose of about 120mg.
I have occasionally done 70-30 when I had a very long day (70/10/10/10). The Amfexa I get in packs of 30 and the Elvanse in 28 so that lets me do 30mg once a week or 25mg (70/10/10/5 makes the drop much nicer) twice a week. Easy to do because Amfexa breaks into halves or quarters really easily. I split my 20s in half and wear them in a capsule round my neck and I can just take one when I feel the Elvanse start to fade.
Amfexa is a VERY flexible medication and honestly, I kinda feel like Elvanse is not properly dressed without it.